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Ridgecrest 50k race report
I did my first and only other 50k at Mt. Disappointment two years ago, and after a dehydration meltdown at that race wanted to tackle the distance again. This year has been one of distance running for me (LA Marathon in March, pacer at the AC100 in August), and I wanted to cap it off with the Ridgecrest 50k being my "A" race. The race prep started on Saturday night, where I sadly had to leave the Pasadena Tri Club party by 9:30pm in order to wake up at 3:00am the next morning. I did get to hear one Red 11's song though! The race started at 7:00am, and since Ridgecrest is located way north near the 14-395 interchange it meant leaving at 3:30am. Unfortunately I made a major navigation mistake, and we ended up taking the scenic route and going further towards Bishop! Major props to Sue who was very calm, her iPhone Google map app saved the day, and we arrived to the race start at 6:45am. Luckily ultra check-ins are very low key, and after dropping our goodie bags off in her car we made it to the start to hear the race talk. A couple minutes later the few hundred racers were off into the desert on their 50k or 30k journey.This race had perfect weather, beautiful desert vistas, and aid stations with plastic santas and tinsel-decorated cacti. Ridgecrest is known for being cold at the start, but I was fine with arm warmers and gloves (which I ended up removing later).The vibe at ultra races is very laid-back compared to triathlons, and since athletes are going at a more moderate pace people tend to chat (which can be good or bad depending on how talkative you are). I ran with a local running friend from miles 4-5, and after a brief time running solo then started talking with another runner. He was a 60-year old triathlete/runner from Oceanside, and since his even pace was exactly what I needed the next 10 miles flew by. After saying our farewells we parted ways halfway through the race, and I was then on the hunt to move up a bit in the standings; I tend to take awhile to warm up in running races, and usually negative split. I was feeling good, and maintained a solid but steady pace. The race was only halfway done, and I didn't want to push too hard and find myself without enough in the tank later on.It was hard to tell where I stood because of the two race distances, some of the 50k runners started at 6:00am, and unlike triathlons there were no Sharpie calf markings. I was gradually passing people, and since I had all my nutrition on me I saved time by not stopping at aid stations. By about mile 20 the field had s***** out quite a bit, and I had my eye on a woman less than 0.25 miles ahead of me. She was so steady though that she eluded me for miles, and it was only until about mile 27 that I noticed our gap was closing a bit. I figured that this would be the time to make my move, and over a mile later finally caught up to her. She did not respond, and I then held on for the last few miles of the race. I started cramping a bit with one mile to go, but made it to the finish with only a few minor twinges. The woman who I had passed and finished right behind me came up to me afterward, and it turns out that we met each other before two years ago at Mt. Disappointment - small world!My statsFinish time: 4:33:35 (my previous time at Mt. Disappointment was 7:25:02, although with such significant course differences it is hard to compare two different ultramarathon races)Overall: 25th/263 runnersWomen: 5th/100 runnersWomen 30-30 age group: 3rd/20 runnersLink with more race info, results, and pictures if you are interested: http://www.othtc.com/index.htmNutrition: I love my Nathan hydration vest for long-distance running, and carry all my own nutrition. I do this in long-distance tris too in my Bento box so that I have the products that I train with, and have them available when I need them (for me I have found that to be sports drink every 15 minutes, and a gel/chew every 30 minutes). I drank 1.75 liters of my PowerBar Ironman Perform lemon lime drink during the race by taking a few gulps every 15 minutes, and probably should have had that last 0.25 liters to prevent the slight cramping at the end of the race. Every 60 minutes I consumed a PowerBar gel, and at the halfway mark in-between gels I ate 2 Energy Blasts gel chews.Thanks for reading, and for those looking to dip their toes into the ultra world I highly recommend this race. It is challenging but not too hilly (which many ultras are), cooler weather which is great for running, and late in the year allowing you to have a full tri season. This race is rightfully titled "The Friendliest Race You'll Ever Run".Here's to recovery,Nicole
California, United States
Team Elite Triathlon, Athletes/Active Lifestyle
I competed in cross country and swimming in high school, and ran on the UCLA cross country…MORE
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